Dantewada encounter; bodies of 5 more security personnel found

Five more bodies of anti-Naxal force CoBRA personnel were recovered on Saturday, including that of an Assistant Commandant, killed in a fierce gunbattle with naxals in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

Five more bodies of anti-Naxal force CoBRA personnel were recovered on Saturday, including that of an Assistant Commandant, killed in a fierce gunbattle with naxals in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

With this, the total number of security personnel killed in the gunbattle on Thursday has gone up to six.

CoBRA sources said on Saturday that the bodies of Assistant Commandant Rakesh Chaurasia, a sub-inspector, a head constable and two constables were recovered during combing operation in the thick forests near Singamadagu of the district.

Assistant Commandant of the force Manoranjan Singh was also killed in the encounter on Friday.

Personnel of the 201 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Battalion along with state police and CRPF personnel had launched a major offensive against the Naxals following specific inputs about a large number of naxals being present in the forests.

During the operation which had began on Thursday morning, the force had unearthed an makeshift arms factory of the Maoists besides recovering bodies of nine Naxals killed in the encounter and seized over a dozen guns and grenades.